Observations of Millisecond Pulsars on Time Scales from 10 Nanoseconds to 10 Years

Abstract

At this conference devoted to the study of a variety of astrophysical time series, it is fitting to note that 1997 marks the 30th anniversary year of the discovery of pulsars, which produce arguably the most famous astronomical time series (Hewish et al., 1968). The diversity and richness of science that has developed from observations of pulsars could never have been foreseen by their discoverers. Most of this science is deduced from detailed studies of pulsar time series. Timing observations of millisecond pulsars can be made with precisions that are unparalleled in astronomy. In this review, following a brief introduction to the pulsar population in general and to millisecond pulsars in particular, I will describe timing observations, highlight results of long-term high-precision timing observations of millisecond pulsars, and finally, present a look to the future in this active field.